The Cheese Danish

This shape is perhaps the easiest of all the Danish types, being just a simple packet made from a dough square. The filling is simplicity itself, something that I almost always just improvise. The rough proportions are as follows:

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Sometimes I’ll add a little lemon or orange zest if I have it. Combine all ingredients a bowl and beat until fluffy and uniform.

As for the pastry portion, begin by rolling about three quarters of a pound of pastry dough into a rectangle about a quarter inch thick (exact dimensions are not important). Then simply cut it into squares with pizza cutter like so:

Spoon about tablespoon of filling into the middle of the square.

Then fold in the the first two corners. (NOTE: Stop here if you wish to make the Danish pastry shape known as an “envelope”, though this shape most commonly has jam or fruit in it).

Bring in the third corner and using your finger, dab a little bit of the cheese filling on it as a sealing compound.

Fold in the last corner and you’re done!

Proof, paint with egg wash and bake just like classic sweet rolls. In an ideal world I’d have made some streusel topping to sprinkle on top of these before I baked them (that’s how I learned to make’em anyway), but heck, a little icing after baking works just as well: